Heading to Jinxiu Academy

Chapter 35: Heading to Jinxiu Academy

"Heh, long time no see." Seeing the other party standing there in a daze with his mouth hanging wide open, Luo Mu smiled and took the initiative to greet him.

At these words, Qu Yi snapped out of his shock, though his expression turned somewhat awkward. He offered a faint smile back at Luo Mu, slowly shaking off his embarrassment.

"Many thanks to Fellow Daoist Luo for your timely rescue." Once he had fully regained his composure, Qu Yi spoke with a solemn, sincere expression. If Luo Mu hadn't intervened just now, Qu Yi would certainly have become a meal for the Black Bear. Qu Yi was a reasonable man; although his cultivation base was low, he understood the importance of repaying kindness.

However, given Qu Yi's current circumstances, other than offering a sincere thank you and burying this debt of gratitude deep in his heart, he truly did not know how else to express his appreciation.

"Why have you appeared in a place like this?" Luo Mu asked, his face full of confusion. While spirit beasts were rare here compared to the Ten Thousand Snake Mountain Range, it still posed a significant danger to someone like Qu Yi, who was only at the second level of the Qi Refining stage.

"Sigh!" At the mention of this, Qu Yi let out a long, helpless sigh.

Seeing the other man's reaction, Luo Mu's curiosity was piqued. Knowing there was more to the story, he didn't interrupt, choosing instead to wait quietly for him to continue.

Sure enough, after a brief silence, Qu Yi spoke again.

"I practice the path of artifact refinement. Fellow Daoist Luo should know that artifact refinement, alchemy, and talisman making are the most expensive professions in the cultivation world. This is especially true in the early stages, where low success rates lead to a massive waste of materials. I won't hide it from you—my family is poor and cannot provide any support for my craft, so I have always had to struggle on my own."

Having said this, Qu Yi sighed once more. From his tone, Luo Mu could hear the deep helplessness of a poor rogue cultivator. Disciples of large clans had the backing of their family's resources, allowing their cultivation to progress by leaps and bounds, while rogue cultivators without spirit stones could only rely on their own efforts, climbing upward one step at a time.

"I came here this time hoping to hunt a few first-level low-grade spirit beasts to harvest their materials for refinement. Who would have thought that instead of finding low-grade beasts, I would provoke a first-level peak-grade one?" After a pause, Qu Yi continued, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"I see. You came here seeking materials, but given your strength, you must be more cautious. Cultivation is important, but compared to one's life, it cannot be mentioned in the same breath." Luo Mu had experienced life-and-death trials himself, and he now valued his life above all else. Only by staying alive could one have other ambitions; once dead, there was nothing left to consider.

"Fellow Daoist Luo is right, but I was truly driven to a dead end," Qu Yi said with a look of resignation. Judging by his tone, Luo Mu's advice didn't seem to have made much of an impact.

It was hardly surprising, though; if it were Luo Mu in his position, he would likely still take the risk for the sake of his own cultivation, provided his life wasn't immediately forfeit.

Having guessed the man's inner thoughts, Luo Mu smiled and said no more. He had no deep friendship with this person—they had only met twice. Since he had already offered his advice, whether Qu Yi took it to heart was no longer his concern.

Stepping over to the Black Bear's carcass, Luo Mu did not release his White Jade Ants to devour it. Instead, he took out the Poison Fang dagger that Qu Yi had forged for him and skillfully began to dismantle the beast.

Luo Mu kept the meat, but he tossed the claws and hide—materials capable of being used for artifacts—to Qu Yi instead of putting them into his Storage Bag.

"Refining is not easy. Take these materials; just give me the finished artifacts once you've forged them," Luo Mu said with a smile as he tossed the items over.

Qu Yi was overjoyed as he caught the materials. The Black Bear had been killed by Luo Mu, so the materials rightfully belonged to him. That Luo Mu would forgo them and instead ask for artifacts in return was a pleasant surprise. To Qu Yi, materials from a first-level peak-grade spirit beast were incredibly precious; he hadn't expected Luo Mu to be so generous as to hand them over without hesitation.

"Do not use these to forge low-grade artifacts. Use them to attempt a mid-grade one," Luo Mu added just as Qu Yi was beaming with joy.

"A mid-grade artifact? The success rate is incredibly low! If it fails, these precious materials will be wasted!" Qu Yi said, startled, as he tried to warn him.

"Low-grade artifacts have too little attack power and are useless to me. Using these materials for low-grade work would be a waste of potential. It is better to let you take the risk for a mid-grade one. If you succeed, all the better—I gain a mid-grade artifact. If you fail, you gain the experience. Why not?" Luo Mu said with a laugh.

"But if it fails, the materials will be gone!" Qu Yi said, full of worry. He didn't have much confidence in his own refinement skills.

"If that happens, I'll just have to accept my bad luck. Heh... don't carry such a heavy burden. Just refine them for me with peace of mind. While materials from a first-level peak-grade beast are precious, they aren't that hard to come by." Luo Mu chuckled, his expression so calm that it seemed he truly didn't care about the materials. In reality, he was quite anxious; if the refinement failed, it would be a significant loss.

Luo Mu might not have reached the point of valuing spirit stones above his own life, but he wasn't far off.

Seeing Luo Mu's insistence, Qu Yi nodded and said nothing more, tucking all the materials into his Storage Bag. However, the way he looked at Luo Mu had clearly changed.

As an artifact refiner, Qu Yi was particularly sensitive to such items. He had seen the three artifacts Luo Mu used to kill the beast and could tell at a glance that they were definitely not low-grade; they were likely precious mid-grade artifacts. What shocked him even more was that none of these three were the ones he had previously forged for Luo Mu.

That meant, including the two mid-grade artifacts he had made, Luo Mu had at least five mid-grade artifacts in his possession! Qu Yi gasped inwardly. Five mid-grade artifacts—what kind of concept was that? Even in the great cultivation families of Jinxiu City, their Qi Refining disciples didn't possess so many!

Thinking back to how Luo Mu had advanced from the second to the sixth level of Qi Refining in just one year, the sheer, monstrous speed of his cultivation made one wonder how many spirit medicines he must have consumed.

With this realization, Luo Mu became an instant mystery in Qu Yi's eyes. During their first meeting, Luo Mu hadn't shared any information about himself, so it was no wonder Qu Yi was thinking this way now.

"By the way, where do you intend to go now?" Luo Mu asked, interrupting Qu Yi's wild train of thought.

"Ah? ...Now that I have the materials, I don't intend to stay in the deep mountains taking risks. I plan to return to Jinxiu City and forge your artifacts first," Qu Yi replied immediately after a moment of surprise.

"So, you are heading back to Jinxiu City now?" Luo Mu raised an eyebrow and asked calmly.

"That is indeed my plan," Qu Yi answered without hesitation.

"That's perfect. I happen to be going to Jinxiu City as well. I can give you a lift on my Flying Artifact," Luo Mu said with a slight smile.

"That would be wonderful! With your Flying Artifact, we can greatly shorten the travel time. I'm afraid I'll be troubling you, Fellow Daoist Luo," Qu Yi said, overjoyed. Having just been hunted by a spirit beast, he really didn't dare to venture deeper into the mountains alone.

"It's no trouble at all. I actually have some questions I'd like to ask you, so we can talk on the way." Luo Mu didn't intend to keep up the pleasantries. With a wave of his sleeve, a flash of light appeared, and his Giant Sword Flying Artifact hovered before him.

Luo Mu jumped onto the sword first, and Qu Yi followed. Once both were aboard, Luo Mu didn't hesitate. He channeled his spiritual power through his feet into the sword, and with a burst of intense light, the Giant Sword transformed into a streak of brilliance, vanishing into the horizon like a shooting star in the night sky.

"Are you a student at Jinxiu Academy?" Once they were in the air, Luo Mu finally asked the question he cared about most. Since he had decided to enroll in Jinxiu Academy, he needed to learn more about it. Although the clothes Qu Yi wore were roughly the same as those worn by the people he had killed previously, he wanted to confirm it.

"That's right, I am currently studying at Jinxiu Academy. See this robe? It's our school uniform. Heh... it's practically our emblem," Qu Yi said with a light smile, adjusting his robe.

When he mentioned Jinxiu Academy, Luo Mu could clearly hear the pride in Qu Yi's tone. It was understandable; anyone who could enroll in Jinxiu Academy was a true cultivator, an existence admired by ordinary mortals. Over time, the students began to feel superior to others, and Qu Yi was no exception.

"Heh, so you really are a student there. I have a few friends who study at Jinxiu Academy, but why is their robe different from yours?" Luo Mu chuckled. The people he had killed were now being referred to as his "friends"—if they knew this in the afterlife, they might be so angry they'd cough up blood.

"Different robes? That's only natural, as we study in different departments, so the uniforms vary slightly. But they are mostly the same, with no major differences." Qu Yi didn't doubt Luo Mu's words. When he heard about the difference in robes, he was confused for a moment, but soon realized what Luo Mu meant and answered with immediate understanding.

"Different departments lead to different robes?" Luo Mu muttered to himself, a look of curiosity appearing on his face.